Alone
by inner-storm
Summary: What does Bobby do when a case touches him more than he could have imagined?
1. Default Chapter

All by myself. I carry my burden. I walk on alone. I am here. Can you hear me? No you can't because no one is here. No one to talk to. No one to comfort me. No one to ease my pain. So I carry my burden alone. But I am sad. These emotions I have never felt before. The pain in my heart as it beats, echoing down the corridor. The pain is so great, I think my heart is going to tear. Then.nothing. My emotions fade. I can hear but I can't listen. I can see but I can't perceive. I can feel but I can't touch. It is here that I am truly alone. My heart has wept for a companion for so long that it drove my mind away. It is here that I will stay. In this nothingness I will reside until that one person cares enough to take my hand, and touch my heart, and lead me back to the place that I was once alone.  
  
* * *  
  
It was cold. The middle of spring yet the room was freezing. The local cop looked down onto a corpse. It was a young woman. Sergeant Affleck shivered as he knelt down to get a closer look. He looked up at his partner, "It's another one. Same marks on her arms. Throat Slit." To observers he looked in control, stoic. But his partner, Sergeant O'Riley saw pain and disgust written all over him. Affleck continued His eyes changed from that of an observers to those of one who was confused. "But this one's been cared for." O'Rileys head shot up from the ground she had been looking at. "Beaten horribly but her bruises and cuts have been washed. He covered her with a blanket and put her on the bed. This one's special." Hearing the grim control of his voice fading, O'Neil motioned for her partner to join her in the hall. "I know this is affecting you. Why don't you just leave it?" Affleck's face hardened. "Because this bastards been killing for 4 months now. I promised the families of these people that I would solve these murders quietly. If Major Case gets it, the press will be running a three- ringed circus around here." There was a moment of silence while his partner took in his words. "Speak of the devil." He commented, gazing through the window over his partners shoulder. Two detectives had just pulled up in a sleek, brand new SUV. Aflleck strode over to the door and blocked the entrance. He found himself looking up into the face of a detective, taller and broader that even himself. "This is a local case" His voice showing none on the emotion of before. "You have no jurisdiction here." "Actually we do." Calmly telling the local cop now showing signs of fear at the detective, now stepping threatenly closer. "There have been 7 deaths in the past four months. The DA is getting pissed. He wants this guy caught. Here's the order passing the case onto us." Affleck snatched the order from the detective, now smirking and leaning against the doorframe. After reading the order, Affleck stormed out the house, his partner in tow. "I'll send all the files and evidence to you. Have fun with you case detective." He said, voice dripping with bitterness. Detective Goren turned and grinned at his partner. "That's what I love about these locals Alex. So friendly and open." Alex Eames rolled her eyes at him. She had long since given up at her partners attempt at humor. "You know when you actually come up with something funny, would you give me a call?" She replied, pushing past him. It was hard to believe that a woman so small could ever push around someone Goren's size, but Alex was a tough woman. Following in her father's footsteps was huge battle for the only girl in the family, but Alex was brought up to believe that she could do anything a male can do, well at least anything her four brothers could do. She began her usual inspection of the scene while Bobby got up close and personal wit the body. She smiled, remembering the first time they had investigated a murder together. She had been shocked at how Bobby could get so touchy feely with a dead body, but now, looking around the room, she had to force herself to hide the laughter at the local's who where now conveniently finding work to do as far away from Bobby as they could, who was now rolling the woman over to check for more injuries. The look on his face told Alex that he had already found something that didn't sit quite right with him. She walked over and knelt beside him. "This woman is different." Bobby began, not waiting for the question. "While she was still beaten badly and killed, she's been washed, her cuts cleaned and she was put here on the bed. The bloodstains over there were where she was really killed. Special care was taken with her. It was like.like he loved her." Alex looked up at him. "Nice way to show it" She got up and continued looking for something to tell them why this woman was killed. Meanwhile, Bobby scanned the room, thinking. What could this woman have done to be killed? Why was she important? Was she a friend, a relative? Why was she different? Bobby, while creating different scenarios in his mind, didn't realize that he had been staring at the wardrobe now for over a minute. But just as he was about to, the door moved. A tiny movement, so small, he was sure he had imagined it. But something drew hi to that door. He got up, walked over and slowly opened the door.  
  
* * *  
  
Oooooh what is it????? Plz plz plz tell me if its crap coz its my first fic 


	2. They're All Dead

Disclaimer: this is for the first chapter as well. I don't own them but im  
working on it (  
* * *  
Bobby stopped short. Staring up at him was a girl. Not a girl, a woman. He  
made a move to grab her, meaning to take her into custody, but he stopped  
when she pressed herself against the wall. She looked like a deer caught in  
headlights. You could almost touch the fear flowing from her.  
Her clothes were torn, shabby and worn. Her hair hung down her shoulders,  
limp and dull. She looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Her lips were  
cracked and bleeding.  
Bobby held out his hand to help her up, but she only curled up, trying to  
get further away. "Hey." He said to her gently. "I'm not gonna hurt you."  
The girl looked at him, then his hand. He could see her thinking,  
calculating whether or not to trust the stranger now offering her his hand.  
He could see that something had happened to this girl, something that made  
her distrust everyone.  
  
* * *  
  
Alex looked over at her partner. What was he doing now? He was crouched in  
front of the closet and muttering apparently to himself. She stepped closer  
to see what he was doing.  
She almost had a heart attack when she saw Bobby pull out a young woman  
from the closet. The woman spotted the body lying on the bed. A shadow came  
over her face and she screamed, clapping her hands over her head. Bobby  
turned to her. "Alex help."  
She ran over as the woman collapsed. Bobby caught her before she hit the  
ground and Alex helped him lift her. She was surprised at how thin the  
woman was, and how easily they could lift her.  
"We've got to get her to a hospital." Alex said to Bobby who nodded lifted  
the woman into his arms.  
"C'mon it will be faster this way' he said, leading the way to the SUV. The  
officers at the door backed away to let the pair through.  
  
* * *  
  
Bobby sat on the chairs in the emergency room while Alex filled out the  
forms the nurse had presented them with. She was having a hard time because  
they had no idea who the girl was. She sighed and walked over to her  
partner. She almost laughed when she saw how uncomfortable he was. Then  
again he had always hated hospitals. They reminded him of his childhood,  
and his mother.  
"I can't fill these out until we know who the hell she is."  
Bobby nodded. "She saw what happened Alex. She was afraid. She knows who  
did this and it has made her distrust everyone. I had to coax her out of  
that closet."  
Alex nodded. Her cell phone in her pocket broke the silence. "It's the  
captain."  
Bobby watched her take the call. Nodding and frowning. Watching her  
expressions and trying to work out what was happening. Alex came back over.  
"Her name's Torilette, Torilette Miller. The woman in there was her mother.  
She has no other family and her father left when she was five. No one's  
seen him since."  
Bobby nodded. "I guess that leaves her in our custody, unless her father  
shows up."  
"She doesn't need to be in anyone's custody Bobby. She's 25 years old."  
Remarked Alex.  
"What? She looks barely older than 15!"  
Both fell silent, trying to comprehend what had happened. A doctor strode  
up. "Are you the detectives here with woman that was brought in earlier?"  
"How is she?" Bobby asked"  
"She's fine. Severely malnourished and the drugs haven't helped either."  
"Drugs?" Alex question, shooting a confused look at her partner.  
"Yes, I thought they were self injected, until I tried to give her an  
injection myself. She's an....she has a severe fear of needles. On closer  
inspection, I saw the needle marks were messy. As if she was struggling. I  
think she was forced to take them."  
Bobby and Alex both looked at each other, both asking the same question in  
their head. Who would force this girl to shoot up and what for?  
"There's more." The doctor continued. "There are scars all down her back.  
Untreated whip marks. She was whipped and left without ever having medical  
treatment. There are also signs of untreated broken bones. Messy splints  
have been put on and the bones have healed incorrect. This woman's bean  
beaten and I'd say left for dead.more than once. The problem is, she's  
survived."  
The looks of questioning on the detectives faces increased.  
"One more thing.she won't talk. To anybody. She won't let us touch her. The  
only treatment we've been able to give her is by observation tough we did  
manage to get an IV in to help with the malnourishment. But she pulled it  
out."  
"Thank you doctor. Is there any chance we can talk to her?" Bobby said.  
"You can try, but I highly doubt she would respond."  
"I'd like to try"  
"I don't see why not" The doctor replied shrugging. "Room 18 just down the  
hall and to the left."  
'Thank you."  
The detectives swept down the corridor in silence. "Do you think she'll  
talk?" asked Alex, looking up at her partner. "I dunno," he said, looking  
back, "But I have to try. After all, we need to know what she knows' in  
order to catch this guy. She's the only lead we've got."  
Alex nodded and looked back down at the floor. They stopped out in front of  
the door. Bobby knocked on the doorframe. Torilette looked up. She seemed  
dwarfed even more by her surroundings. She was sitting on her bed. There  
was a tray of food sitting on the table next to her, but it hadn't been  
touched.  
"Torilette, Can I talk to you?" Bobby asked. Torilette looked up, stared  
and nodded. Bobby sat down on the chair next to the bed. Torilette stared  
up at Alex, now standing behind Bobby. "This is my partner Detective Eames,  
but you can call her Alex."  
Torilette stared at Alex, eyes full of curiosity. The fear and pain of  
before had disappeared. She stopped staring at Alex and stared at the wall,  
seemingly uninterested with anything. Bobby looked at her seriously.  
"Torilette, we're going to have to ask you a few questions now about what  
happened."  
Torilette's head snapped back from the wall she had been staring at.  
"I know this is going to be hard on you but I need to know who did this to  
your mother, and why, so others don't get hurt."  
Torilette's eyes filled with tears and she curled up into a ball, refusing  
to make eye contact with Bobby.  
"Torilette I need you to help me, if you tell me what you know, we can help  
you stop whatever is making you unwell."  
Again she just stared into her curled up knees, still sobbing quietly.  
"Torilette, why did this man kill your mother?"  
Torilette's sobs grew harder. She looked up at Bobby. She stood up, back  
facing the two detectives. All of a sudden, her hand flew up and knocked  
the tray of food flying. She began to scream. "THEY'RE ALL DEAD. ALL DEAD."  
Her screams alerted a nurse who came running. Torilette was now on her  
knees, screaming with balled fists covering her eyes, as if trying to block  
something out. When she saw the nurse with a sedative, she threw herself  
against the wall. The screaming had stopped. She was now muttering no over  
and over.  
"Help me." He nurse said to Alex, who helped the nurse, holding the frail  
girl down while the nurse injected her. Her body went limp and Alex lifted  
her onto the bed. Bobby, who had been standing there, unable to move,  
walked over and lay a hand on the girls head, smoothing her now clean hair.  
She smiled and fell asleep under his cool touch. The nurse motioned for  
them to leave. As Bobby walked out the door, he heard a weak voice coming  
from the bed. "My name is Tori, Detective Goren."  
Bobby acknowledged what this meant and left Tori to sleep  
  
* * *  
  
Well there's another chap to keep ya goin. Hope ya all like it! ;) 


	3. Tori

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em and neither do u so lets get on with it!  
  
A/N Thanx 4 all the reviews. They really help me keep writin!  
  
By the way this is the same scene as chapter 2 except this is what Tori is thinking while Bobby questions her.  
  
* * *  
  
I have to get out of here. I can't saty here long or they'll find me. Besides, they have needles here. There's got to be a way outta here without anyone seein me. Well there's no time like the present. 'Knock knock' Shit it's those detectives. Well I guess ill have to stay for now then.  
  
"Torilette, can I talk to you?"  
  
No but you can try.  
  
"This is my partner Detective Eames but you can call her Alex."  
  
Hey just coz I stare at her doesn't mean I want to know her life story. Lets just look at the wall. I don't want to talk.  
  
"Torillete, we're going to have to ask you a few questions now about what happened."  
  
What's it to you. Why would you care? Why would anyone anyway?  
  
"I know this is going to be hard on you but I need to know who did this to your mother, and why, so others don't get hurt."  
  
Shut up I don't want to talk about it. She was the stupid one. She got them all killed. She made him mad.  
  
"Torilette I need you to help me, if you tell me what you know, we can help you stop whatever is making you unwell."  
  
WHO CARES I DON'T WANT TO KNOW SO JUST SHUTUP SHUT UP SHUTUP!!!  
  
"Torilette, why did this man kill your mother?"  
  
Because she was stupid. And I couldn't stop her and now they're all dead. All dead. ALL DEAD!  
  
No. No more. Leave me alone or they'll hurt you too.  
  
"THEY'RE ALL DEAD. ALL DEAD."  
  
Stop. I don't want to see them. They're dead now why can't they leave me alone. No not the needles. Just get away from me. GET OFF ME. No..  
  
Why am I back on the bed? Hey why is he leaving? I want to talk now. Wait!  
  
"My name is Tori, Detective Goren."  
  
* * *  
  
I know this is short but I wanted to let everyone know what's going on in her head so her actions are better understood. 


	4. Dead?

Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I think I already said that  
  
* * *  
  
The ride back to the precinct was silent. Both Bobby and Alex were still taking in what had just happened. Bobby wondered why she had freaked like that. Especially when he asked why her mother was killed.  
  
He felt a sadness then. This woman was in a lot of pain. She had lived through a hell of a lot. Somehow, she was connected to all these woman. But how? All the woman matched the same description. All between 30-40 years old, yet all appeared to retain their youth. All of them had been treated well. All had expensive places to live; all had the latest designs in their closets. And yet none of them seemed to have a source of income. No jobs, no bank accounts. No relatives.  
  
All of the women were orphans or runaways. Many of them had turned up on the missing persons files from 2-3 decades ago. All of them had disappeared without a trace and all of them had now turned up dead. But how was Tori connected?  
  
Tori was 25 and she had not been treated well. According to her doctor, she had been beaten several times, and denied treatment. She was forced to take drugs and she was obviously not fed or clothed well.  
  
"Alex, I want to go back to that apartment."  
  
Alex looked at up at her partner.  
  
"What for Bobby, the local's said they didn't find any thing out of the ordinary?" Replied Alex, turning her eyes back onto the road.  
  
"Since when have we trusted them to come up with the important stuff?"  
  
Alex raised one eyebrow, then turned off to road they were heading down. A few minutes later, they were in front of a large apartment block in the better end of the city. They flashed their badges at the doorman who nodded and waved them to the elevator. "Why do you think the mother was living so well while Tori was on the streets?"  
  
Alex looked up. She had been wondering the same thing. "I don't know. Maybe she resented Tori and kicked her out. Probably blamed her for her father leaving."  
  
Bobby nodded. "But she seemed really torn up about her mother's death. If her mother treated her so badly why would she have reacted so badly? And why was she in the house anyway?"  
  
"I don't know but I think this goes deeper than we think. I think these women were all connected because they knew something. Tori knows too but something makes her different from the others. I think we should look at her father. I think he's involved in this."  
  
Bobby nodded and crossed the tape that covered the apartment door. Everyone had left with everything gone through and all evidence gathered. Bobby went straight to the closet he had found Tori in. She had been so scared.  
  
He looked through each shelf care fully. Mostly linens, a few board games, nothing you wouldn't find in a normal household. He climbed on the bottom shelf to look right up the top. His head smacked against the roof. It moved. Bobby looked up. A panel of the roofing had moved a crack. Bobby moved it aside and felt around. His hand came upon a box. "Alex, come over here."  
  
Bobby jumped down and opened the box. Inside, there were a few photos of what looked to be Tori, her mother and father. She looked to be about four when the photos were taken. He shuffled around some more. A birth certificate for Tori and her mother. He picked up the folded document and something fell out. It was a death certificate. It was for Tori.  
  
Alex walked into the room. 'What is it Bobby?"  
  
"Did Deakins actually get hold of a file on Tori?"  
  
"No, she didn't come up. She doesn't have a record Deakins assumed that the girl was the Tori mentioned in her mother's file. She had quite a sheet. Why?"  
  
Bobby showed her the certificate. "Because this says that she's been dead for 15 years."  
  
Alex read it, muttering to herself. "Died of cerebral hemorrhaging due to an aneurysm present at birth? But the doctor showed me her file at the hospital when I gave him the forms. According to it she was a healthy baby, had all her usual checkups, but there was nothing after she was 10. If she had died then, her file would have been destroyed."  
  
Bobby nodded. "The doctor who signed the certificate." he snatched it back from Alex. "Doctor Simon Frued. Do you get the funny feeling he's in on this as well?"  
  
Alex nodded. "Alright. But we have to go back to the precinct and tell Deakins what we've found.  
  
* * *  
  
Bobby was silent all the way back to the precinct. Alex knew there was something bothering him. After all being partnered for three years could tell you a lot about a person. "Whats up Bobby?"  
  
"Nothing" Bobby replied, still staring aimlessly out the window.  
  
"You're a bad liar you know."  
  
Bobby looked at her and smiled.  
  
"This is getting to you isn't it?"  
  
Bobby sighed and looked down. "It's just this girls been through so much. Whoever did this obviously doesn't want her around. She's been knocked around and shoved aside. She has no one to depend on and yet she still holds hope. I can see it in the way she fought that nurse. If she had truly been affected by what happened in the way that she appeared, I think she would have just given up. After all she's been through, she still has hope. I want to help her. To stop the person or people that did this to her."  
  
"Reminds me of someone I know."  
  
Bobby smiled again. "No. She's been through much more than I did. I still had family who cared for me after my dad left. Mum did what she could before she went into the institute. I wasn't beaten and used."  
  
Alex nodded and pulled up into their usual spot in the car park. Walking to the elevator, Bobby still wondered what must have happened to that girl. How long had this torture gone on for her? He couldn't help it. Usually he didn't have to deal with live victims.  
  
* * * 


	5. The Night is for Sleeping

Disclaimer: 1, 2, better not sue!  
  
A/N: [ ] = dream.  
  
I had a hard time getting dis chap written down. There's an evil lil fat man (namely my boss) who is killing my imagination and turning me into a monotonous drone. But I did it so enjoy!  
  
* * *  
  
Sitting in Deakins' office, Alex was trying to get Deakins head around the new information on the case.  
  
"How can someone have a signed death certificate and still be alive!?"  
  
"I don't know sir, but both Bobby and I agree that this girl knows something that someone wants to keep a secret. The only problem is, she isn't willing to talk."  
  
Deakins nodded. "So far we have 7 murders with no apparent motive and a witness who won't talk obviously because she's afraid of something."  
  
Bobby, who had been quiet, saying very little through the entire meeting sat forward, head in hands. "What if all she needs is someone to trust?"  
  
Alex and Deakins looked at Bobby, eyebrows raised. "What if this woman isn't talking because she has no one to trust and hasn't had for a while now."  
  
"Well, looks like you two get to be the lucky ones who earn her trust. I want her talking. The DA is up our asses on this one and we need to know what she knows."  
  
Bobby and Alex got up and left the office. The offices of the major case squad were exactly as you would imagine. Everything was a steel gray, giving the impression of a fortress. The fluorescent lights only added to the effect of a cold, empty place.  
  
Bobby sat down at his desk. He picked up the folder of reports that had been delivered that afternoon. Flicking through them, he saw the same conclusions that he had come to. Nothing new or interesting that could provide a link to a suspect. Their only lead was Tori. Her and the 'doctor' who had signed the death certificate. "Bobby, go home."  
  
Bobby, shaken from his thoughts, smiled at the concern of his partner, and for once, followed her advice. Picking up some files and his coat, he headed for the elevator.  
  
* * *  
  
Bobby's apartment was dimly lit by the desk lamp that shone from the lounge. It was the only light on in the house. The bookshelves in the corner were cast into shadow and the room was occasionally lit by the headlights of the cars passing below. In the bedroom, Bobby lay in a fitful sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
[The darkness was all around him. It was everywhere except the pocket of light that surrounded him. But it was closing in. He tried to move, but the chains clamped to his hands wouldn't allow him to. A scream made him turn around. The darkness was reaching out for a woman that was also chained to the ground. He couldn't see her face but he was sure it was his mother. He strained at the chains, trying to break free and get to the woman before the darkness. Somehow, if he got to his mother, everything would be all right. He had to get to her. He twisted and turned, getting more desperate with every scream that he heard. Finally the chains broke and he ran forward, just as the darkness reached his mother. He grabbed her hand, and as the darkness engulfed her, he saw that it wasn't his mother]  
  
* * *  
  
Bobby woke with a start. Sweat drenched him from the nightmare and the sheets lay twisted on the floor. Bobby looked at the clock on the nightstand. 3 am. He had had that dream many times as a child but after his mother was institutionalized, it had stopped. But something was different this time. He fought to remember. Tori.  
  
He got up and dressed in the first things he could find, grabbed his keys and left the apartment.  
  
Arriving at the hospital, the first thing he did was have the front reception call and have a nurse check on Tori. After finding out she was fine, he headed up to her room. He leaned on the doorframe. She was sleeping peaceful, the only sign of life was her chest rising and falling with each breath.  
  
Bobby stepped into the room and sat in the chair next to the bed and too k Tori's hand. She was so thin. The smallest robe the hospital had was hanging off her, at least two sizes too big. Her dinner lay again untouched on the table beside the bed.  
  
Bobby jumped as she stirred, rolling over, he could see she was about to wake up. He gently stroked her black hair, telling her to go to sleep. Slowly her breathing returned to the rhythm of one who was deeply asleep.  
  
Sitting back, Bobby relaxed. He hadn't felt so calm in a long time and soon, he fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
It seemed barley a minute since Bobby fell asleep that he was dragged into the waking world. Light was streaming through the window and Bobby saw why he had woken. A cheeky grin and the empty glass in Tori's hand was enough to explain the water now running down the back of his neck.  
  
"Someone's gonna be late for wo-ork." Tori teased in a singsong voice.  
  
Bobby looked down at his watch and realized it was already 9 o'clock. Swearing, he got up and walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around and looked at Tori. She still sported a shit-eating grin but he noticed the bit of color that had returned to her cheeks. His eyes slid to the bedside table and he realized the food he had seen was now gone. Smiling he left the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Reaching the precinct, he cursed under his breath realizing he was still wearing the sweatshirt and pants he had thrown on in the middle of the night. As soon as the elevator door opened, he heard Deakins yelling his name from his office. Alex looked up from her desk. For once she was here before Bobby but as soon as she saw him, her look changed to surprise.  
  
Never would her partner turn up to work in as sweatshirt. His looks suggested he had hard night. From the ruffled hairstyle to the bags under his eyes, Alex could tell he hadn't slept well. Bobby walked over to Deakins office. She heard Deakins telling Bobby to shut the door behind him.  
  
Inside the office, Deakins also displayed surprise at Bobby's appearance. Bobby sat down. "I'm sorry, I just had a bad night."  
  
"Goren you start work at 8. It is now 9:30. If you are ever this late again, I will personally find you a job analyzing dog shit somewhere."  
  
Bobby smiled at his bosses' lame attempt at a joke. "Now go back home, wake up properly, change and be back here by 11."  
  
Bobby nodded and left the office. Going over to Alex, he told her what had happened and thanked her silently for not asking about the night before.  
  
Heading back to the elevator and ignoring the stares from his co-workers, he left for home. 


	6. Escape

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em  
  
A/N: Ha I have defeated the evil lil fat man and have my imagination back!!! No longer will I suffer from a lack of things to write.  
  
* * *  
  
Alex didn't bother to question Bobby about where he had been last night. There was no point; he would just change the subject. Keep on talking as though she had never asked.  
  
Alex had spent the morning finishing paperwork while she tried to contact Bobby. He didn't answer his cell and she only got the answering machine at home. By 9 she had gotten seriously worried. Bobby had never been that late in the time she had known him. She was about to walk out the door to go find him when she had seen him step out the elevator.  
  
Her first reaction was surprise. There was her organized, clean, gentleman of a partner looking like something the cat had dragged in. Her eyes followed him as he walked into Deakins' office, wondering what possibly could have kept Goren from being at his desk on time.  
  
When he walked out and explained where he was going, Alex nodded, restraining herself from asking the question that was screaming around her head. She finished all of her paperwork and half of Bobby's before she got sick of waiting for him to return. Instead, she decided to forgo her plan to wait for Bobby and just go and question this Simon Freud.  
  
It was a stroke of brilliance she had had to look up the certificate on the Internet. Just as she ha thought, there was a link from Tori's certificate to Dr Freud. He was posted at New York Memorial Hospital.  
  
(A/N: I don't live in New York, nor do I even live in America so this hospital probably doesn't exist.)  
  
She was opening her car door when Bobby pulled up next to her, looking like he usually did. He got out and got into the passengers side without a word. "Where're we going?" Alex pulled out of the car park and headed down the street. "To see Dr Freud. The information I got on him is in the back seat." Bobby leant back and felt for the file. Reading through it, he didn't find anything out of the ordinary. No complaints against him, no inquiries into his practices, and no suspicious circumstances or deaths.  
  
Arriving at the hospital, Alex stepped up to the male nurse working at the main reception. "We need to speak to Dr Freud." He nurse looked up and smiled, not noticing Bobby lurking amongst the in patients.  
  
"Well he is busy right now," the nurse replied, his smile looking more like a smirk, "but I'm sure I can help you."  
  
Alex flashed her badge. "I don't think you understand. We REALLY need to speak to Dr Freud."  
  
The nurse kept smirking at Alex. "Whose we?"  
  
"WE are two detectives who want to speak to Dr Freud NOW." Bobby said, stepping forward.  
  
One glance at the huge frame at the detective leaning close was enough to wipe the smirk off the nurse's face and send him scuttling off the find the Dr.  
  
"How do you deal with guys like that?" Bobby asked Alex.  
  
She grinned at him. "If you hadn't of intervened, you would have found out. Though it was probably better for my career that you did."  
  
Bobby rolled his eyes at her and looked up to see a doctor moving towards them. "Dr Freud?"  
  
"Yes. Please come this way. I have 10 minutes before I have to prep for an operation so this must be brief."  
  
Bobby let Alex ask the obvious questions, while he observed the doctors reactions.  
  
"Dr Freud, 15 years ago, you signed a death certificate for a 10 year old girl named Tori Miller. Is that true?"  
  
"Detective."  
  
"Eames."  
  
"Detective Eames, I have signed hundreds of death certificates in my years. Do you really think I could remember one?"  
  
Alex pulled the certificate out of her pocket and gave it to him. "Then let me jog your memory."  
  
The doctor looked over the certificate. "Yes I remember this one. While I didn't witness her death, I did sign for it. The doctor who did was a friend of mine and he was very busy at the time. I was doing some of his paperwork."  
  
Both detectives looked at each other. "So you never saw the body of that girl?"  
  
"No."  
  
Bobby remained unconvinced. "Dr, you do know that it's a crime to lie to the police?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then why are you lying to us?"  
  
The doctor laughed. "Why would I lie to you detective? What would I have to lose?"  
  
"Your job." Alex intervened.  
  
The doctor looked at both detectives. A look of fake questioning on his face. He forced a smile.  
  
"And why would I lose my job?"  
  
"Because," Bobby continued, "when the medical board find out that you signed a death certificate for a girl who is very much alive, they're bound to ask what else you've done."  
  
The doctor made no attempt to hide his expression of hate now. "Alright then. I signed that certificate because there was a threat on my life. The police wouldn't believe me. Thought I was crazy. I did it to save my life."  
  
Alex and Bobby exchanged another glance. This was going even deeper than they had anticipated.  
  
"Who made the threat on your life?" Bobby asked  
  
"I don't know. I was walking home from a bar one night and I was grabbed and pushed down an alley. They said they wanted a certificate of death made out for a Torilette Miller and they wanted it delivered to them there 48 hours later. They told me if I came with police, I would be killed. After being laughed at by the police. I did it, finding her details in her folder."  
  
Do you remember anything about the men who grabbed you?" Alex asked.  
  
"They were all different. All white, the one who spoke to me was about 6'7, black hair and had a goatee. I did notice that they all had the same tattoo though. It was a symbol."  
  
"Could you draw it for us?" Bobby said, producing a pen and a bit of paper.  
  
The doctor took them and drew a series of linked rings. Each of the rings was different but they were all linked by a single thick ring.  
  
"Here. That's what I remember it looking like."  
  
Bobby took it and nodded. "Thank you for your help doctor. You won't be hearing from us."  
  
Bobby and Alex left the hospital. "Looks like we have a gang on our hands." Alex said, unlocking the car.  
  
Bobby nodded. "You take this down to the station and run it against known gangs. I'm going to take a taxi back to the apartment. I want to look at it one more time.  
  
Alex nodded and was about to get in the car when Bobby's cell rang. He was nodding and saying something too quickly for Alex to understand. He held up his hand to tell her not to leave. Punching the end call button, he jumped in the car. "There was an attack on the hospital. Someone tried to kill Tori. She's gone"  
  
Alex pulled out and speed towards the hospital. "She's dead?"  
  
"No. She escaped out the window. The guy got away."  
  
"She escaped out the window!? She's 8 floors up!"  
  
"That's what I said, but she made it somehow. The nurses on the 4th floor said they saw a patient running for the elevator. A patient from that floor said he saw her come through his window."  
  
Alex speed on amazed how that woman could climb to a window 4 floors down. She seemed so fragile, so weak. "She's stronger than we thought."  
  
Bobby nodded without saying anything. Seeing the anxious look on her partners face, Alex sped up  
  
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What do ya think. Please review! 


	7. Tori's Story

Disclaimer: They aren't mine  
  
* * *  
  
Bobby breezed down the corridor, almost knocking over several hospital staff in the process. Alex had to jog to keep up. Getting to the nurse's station, he found the first the first person he could to vent his fears on. "What the hell happened!?"  
  
The nurse looked absolutely terrified. "There, there was a man. He demanded to know where Ms Miller was. Someone told him and he pulled a gun. We heard yells and gunshots from the room but she escaped through the window. The man ran out down the stairs but he got away before security could get here."  
  
Bobby turned to Alex. "Go down to the lobby and see if she comes back. I'm going to look for her." Alex nodded, knowing her partner would do this with or without her help.  
  
Bobby pushed through the doors and looked both ways down the street. "You're looking for that girl aren't you?"  
  
Bobby turned to see a homeless woman sitting on the stairs of the hospital. "How did you know?"  
  
"I just do. She went that way." She replied, pointing north. Bobby thanked her and started down the street. It was busy now. Everyone was at lunch and away from work. He wondered how a woman wearing a hospital gown could walk down the street without being noticed. Then again this was New York.  
  
He began asking people if they had seen her. A couple of people nodded and waved him further down the road. A police car went past. The only color amongst the yellow cabs now crowding the street. He continued, turning down an alley when he thought he heard a noise. His phone rang, echoing down the gap between the two apartment buildings.  
  
"Its me." Bobby heard when he answered. "A police patrol just radioed in saying they had a run away patient. From the description, it sounds like Tori."  
  
"OK. I'll be right there. Bobby ran back to the hospital.  
  
Surprised, he got there before the police. Then again there had been a lot of traffic on the road. He ran up the steps and almost bumped into Alex, who was coming out he door. "They just radioed again. They're almost here."  
  
Bobby nodded and led them back inside. A crowd had gathered in the entrance, many which were patients, anxious to see the girl who had climbed out an 8th floor window to escape a killer. The car pulled up and the police struggled to pull out whoever was in the back.  
  
After quite a fight, the local cop finally pulled out Tori. She was bruised, bleeding and dirty but she was also absolutely terrified. The cop dragged her into the lobby. For such a frail looking woman, she certainly gave him a hard time. When she saw the crowd, she began glancing around frantically, fear etched into every corner.  
  
When she saw the two detectives, a flicker of hope passed through her entire body. "BOBBY TELL THEM TO LET ME GO!" she screamed, struggling to get to Bobby who was now starting to walk towards her.  
  
It all happened at once. The look of hope on Tori's face changed into fear. Bobby saw the man in the crowd raise the gun.  
  
"FLOOR!' Tori screamed, pulling the two policemen behind her down.  
  
The gun went off, hitting the glass door and shattering it to pieces. Bobby pulled out his gun and fired. The gunman hit the ground and didn't move.  
  
Tori, in the panic, managed to slip free of the cops grasp and ran out the door. Bobby followed, chasing her down the street. "TORI WAIT!" He screamed.  
  
She ducked around a corner and disappeared out of sight. When Bobby rounded the corner, she was nowhere to be seen. "TORI!" He yelled again.  
  
A man sitting in the café by the road yelled out. "Down that alley there."  
  
Bobby nodded and crossed the road, dodging traffic. Carefully, he crept into the alley. Trying to be silent, a sob startled him, causing him to jump back and knock over the bins sitting there.  
  
A scream came from behind the dumpster. Bobby looked to find Tori there, curled up into a ball and covering her head. It was just like when he found her in the closet. He knelt down and touched her shoulder. She flinched at the touch but opened her eyes. Seeing Bobby, she sat up and broke down into tears.  
  
Ignoring the dirt and bloodstains that covered her body, he sat down and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I was just so afraid. I thought telling you would make things worse."  
  
Bobby looked at Tori. "Tori, if you tell me what happened, tell me what you know, I can put this guy away."  
  
To Bobby's surprise, Tori laughed. "You really think it's that simple, that this is a small time gang with a few members who go out and vandalize buildings?" she said, looking into Bobby's eyes. "It's so much bigger than that. And what's more, this is one of New York's biggest underground secrets ever kept. There is no data are even any evidence that this gang even exists."  
  
Bobby frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
Tori sighed and looked at the ground. "This all begins, and ends with my father. My father, in high school, began a brotherhood with his closet friends. The kind of friends who you would die for. That's how it all began. They all went to college, got good jobs and it never went any further than that. When my father met my mother, he fell in love. So much so that he gave her everything. But the other members of the brotherhood he had started began to get jealous. This woman was taking up his time and he was no longer there for them. He was torn between his friends and my mother. In the end, he compromised. Each brother was told to travel the world, find a woman and bring her back here. He would give them homes, clothe them and feed them. Give them anything they wanted. In the end, he just couldn't support them all. He began to get into things. Trafficking drugs, performing hits. He began recruiting people into the brotherhood each person was given a tattoo on his right arm, to symbolize his or her connection to the gang. The gang grew and grew. Expanding without the hindrance of the police. They weren't stopped because no one knew. Any one who did was killed. Have you ever investigated a suicide that didn't seem quite right. Like there was something that just didn't fit with it all?"  
  
Bobby nodded, captivated by the sudden knowledge he possessed of the streets of New York.  
  
"Well it was most likely a member of the brotherhood. They would kill anyone who got in their way. My mother knew nothing of this. When she fell pregnant, she was over the moon. She couldn't wait to tell my father. But when he found out, he grew angry and abusive. He began to drink and when he came home drunk, my mother would go to one of the woman who were brought back by the original brothers. When I was born, they helped my mum, taking me when my father got abusive. It was after my birth that the real trouble began. My father became truly heartless, killing people for no reason except to vent his anger. Eventually my mother found out about what had been going on. She kept quiet, believing that one day, my father would stop and we could be a happy family. When I was 10, I began to realize that something wasn't right. I knew about the beatings but growing up with that, I thought it was normal. One day, I followed my father to a poker night he had every Friday with his friends. At least I thought it was a poker night. I knew all of the women at the brotherhood. They were like close aunts. That night I followed my dad to Lacey's house."  
  
"Lacey.wasn't that one of the women who was killed?"  
  
Tori nodded and continued. "They brought in a girl. She was barley 15. They whipped her, sexually abused her then killed her slowly. I still remember her screams."  
  
Tears were now streaming down Tori's cheek. "They found me, hiding in the hallway. My dad dragged me in and they whipped me. He yelled and screamed at me, shoved my face in the girl's body and told me if I ever told anyone what I saw, I would end u p like her. I found out what they did later on. Have you ever been to the Hudson River? Beautiful place, but so big. So big that so many things can be hidden under the water. If someone cared to look, there would be over hundreds of bodies down there 'cause that's were they dumped the girls they abused each week. No one ever found them. The few that did surface were so decayed that the investigations were dropped, purely on the fact that there was never any evidence to warrant an investigation. They couldn't even find the causes of death but I knew it was those girls. My dad had a death certificate made out for me so no one would find me and find out what I knew. He even organized a funeral for everyone that knew me. I was so afraid of my father from that night on. I never told my mother what had happened. The abusing went on. He often forced me to take heroine. I became addicted but never took it voluntarily. I'm terrified of needles. I was often whipped and bashed. Somehow my mother knew, but she just couldn't face the truth that her daughter was being abused. I grew up knowing nothing but hate from my father."  
  
Tori began shaking. Bobby took her hand and pulled her into another hug.  
  
"I grew up, living in the basement of my mother's apartment building. My father didn't live with he anymore but he kept his promise. He fed them, clothed them and kept a roof over their heads, but that promise didn't extend to me. When I was 16, he told my mother that if her ever found out that she had given the tiniest bit of his money to me, he would kill her. But she still did it. All of the brotherhood women pitched in, giving small amounts of money that could be counted as lost. It was enough to give me a tiny bit of food. The rest I had to buy from the money I got from pick pocketing. I lived on the street, spending nights in one on the woman's basements, arriving after midnight and leaving before sunrise. But my health was declining. My father would often find me on the street and he would beat me, almost to death once. I was in and out of hospital. Always giving a fake name and always leaving before they could find out I was lying. It's how I got so good at climbing out of the 8th floor of buildings."  
  
Bobby smiled. Even through her hardships, she still managed to smile.  
  
"A few months ago, I went to my mum's house. I told her about the murder I saw when I was 10. She got all the brotherhood women together and they decided to go forward with what they knew. But somehow my father found out. He began killing them one by one. It would stop the others from going forward, but eventually, they would gather the courage again. But then he killed another. It finally got to the point where there was only my mother left. She called me into her home. She told me that if anything happened to her that I would bring down my father, no matter what it took. We heard my father come in and she shoved me into the closet."  
  
Tori's jaw clenched. Her face hardened into anger, despite the tears still streaming from her eyes.  
  
"I watched him torture my mother. I watched him beat her and I did nothing. I watched him slit her throat AND I DID NOTHING!"  
  
She was yelling now, pure emotion taking over. Bobby held her tighter.  
  
"I passed out then. The next thing I knew was there were police everywhere. I was so scared. When you found me, I thought I could never trust anyone again, but you helped me. But it's all happening again. Anyone who's ever helped me has died."  
  
"What do you mean Tori, I'm not going anywhere."  
  
She looked up, shaking and crying harder. "You think that gunman was the only member of the brotherhood in that room? He was just a trainee, there was someone watching him, making sure he would carry out his orders. Even if it meant he would die. They know about you. You're both in danger."  
  
Bobby looked at Tori, processing what she had just said. He looked into her eyes and he knew, he wasn't scared, because he was going to help her, even if it meant it would kill all of them.  
  
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There you go. Tori's big secret. Review and tell me what you think! 


	8. What now?

Well well well its been quite a while hasn't it. My bad I promise I'll try better to keep up but I'm just so busy right now. Nehoo out of lurkdom and on with the story.

Bobby, ever the gentleman, offered a hand to the frail woman, sitting in the alley in front of him. "C'mon, we need to find Alex. If what you tell me is true, then we need to get to a much safer place."

"I've tried all my life to find someplace safe Bobby, but they're everywhere."

Bobby regarded Tori with a cautious eye. She was much m ore intelligent than she let on. Together, they crossed the street, dodging the never ceasing New York traffic. However, when Tori saw the crowds, she began to double back, not wanting the attention of the hundreds of people now crowding the lobby, waiting for her to return. Bobby grabbed her arm and smiled. "It never ceases to amaze me how fast reporters can find a decent story."

He pulled over to the SUV parked on the side of the street, using his towering form to shield her from the press.

"Miss miss…"

"What do you know about the shootings..."

"Can you tell us who the shooters are…"

Alex, seeing the sudden surge of the crowd scanned the crowd for her partner. Spotting him trying to push his way to the car, she began making her own way through the throngs of people. Reaching the SUV at the same time, She took her usual place in the driver's seat, while Tori and Bobby slid into the back. However pulling out was going to prove more than a problem.

"Jesus, every reporter in New York must be here right now." Remarked Alex as she attempted to reverse away from the curb.

However Bobby paid no attention to his partner, instead watching the reaction of the woman now sitting beside him. She clearly hated crowds having curled up onto a ball, head resting on her knees, trying to shut out the sights and sounds of the small riot happening outside. Finally getting the idea that the driver of the large vehicle was fast losing her patience, and that the vehicle was likely to cause a lot of damage to a human being, the crowds began moving away, clearing a path for the SUV.

"Bobby what's going on here?" Alex asked, gazing at her partners concerned face into the rear view mirror.

"Just get us to the station Alex, we're all in hot water if we hang around here for too long."

The rest of the ride was partaken in silence, everyone lost in his or her own thoughts. Alex wondering what the hell they had stumbled into. Bobby, wondering how a man could do that to his daughter, especially when he had loved her mother so, and Tori wondering why it was so hard to stay awake when she had so often spent several days in a row without sleep. Eventually she succumbed to the darkness, finding the temptation of knowing nothing for the next few hours far too powerful. Upon reaching the station, both detectives realised for the first time that Tori was asleep. Alex was the first to comment. "Must be the excitement of the day, not to mention her injuries and the fact that she hasn't eaten in days."

Bobby smiled. He still thought she looked just like 15-year-old, still innocent, knowing nothing but school, friends and the next 'social event of the year'. "We'll put her in the crib, she needs the rest. In the meantime, I think I should fill you and Deakins in. This goes much deeper than we could have imagined."

"Damn straight you better."

Bobby smiled at his partners mild annoyance at being kept out of the loop. He picked up Tori, who didn't even stir, and made his way towards the elevator, Alex bringing up the rear.

Once Tori was resting peacefully in the crib, Bobby, Alex and their captain sat in his office, waiting for an explanation.

"Well you were right about one thing Alex, this is gang related. However the gang is going to be hard to find. There is no data, no file and absolutely no information on them whatsoever. They been operating under our nose all along without anyone knowing."

Deakins lent forward in his chair. "So your saying we have no ides who could even be involved in these homicides?"

"No. What I'm saying is, until now, there is no evidence that this gang even existed, let alone is running enough drugs to supply the entire population of New York. We are very fortunate to have the daughter of the gang's founder sleeping in the room next door."

Alex's head snapped up. "Tori the daughter of a gang lord? Daughters of gang lords are usually the royalty of New York."

"I know," Bobby continued. "But this is the unwanted daughter of a gang lord. The daughter who witnessed their top level members sexually abusing young girls at the age of 10."

"Jesus Goren. This girl has been through hell and she's still alive somehow." Deakins' face darkened as he thought of his own daughters, trying to imagine how their was any way he could ever hurt his princesses.

"Anyway, these murders are all the concubines of the original members of the gang. Tori calls it the Brotherhood. They've been murdered one by one to protect the gangs secret business. They were trying to go to the police and they ended up like every other person who got in the Brotherhood's way."

Realisation suddenly dawned on Alex, "And now we're in danger because we have the one survivor keeping the secret."

Each of the detectives sat in silence, the effect this case would have on their lives now much more personal. Deakins was the first to speak. "Alright this is how it's going to happen. Clearly I need all three of you here or this case will never get solved, and I would like these bastards of the streets. However you are all to stick together. You will be escorted to and from the building by uniforms and all three of you will stay in a secure house under 24 hour guard. There will be no complaining, no sneaking around and absolutely no midnight wanderings is that understood?"

Both detectives shared a frustrated look.

"But Captain…"

"There will be no buts, I don't care if you think you can take care of yourselves. I am not risking New York's finest because they want to play hero. You will follow orders for your own safety."

Alex and Bobby shared another look, they both knew when they were defeated. They both rose simultaneously from their chairs and left the room without a word. Stepping out into the noise and bustle of the main office, Alex stopped Bobby and stepped into his personal space. To an onlooker, the sudden aggressiveness of the considerably shorter detective might have been amusing, however, Bobby was scared shitless. "Alright if we have to live together for the next few weeks, you will understand this. I will not take any of this insomniac genius crap. If your awake at 2am that's fine by me as long as I don't know about it."

Bobby just watched as his partner turned to continue down the hall, a small grin starting to spread across his face. Alex tossed her head over her shoulder. "And by the way, you better not snore."

Well that's it for that chappies. Tell me what you think? Ill post again when I figure out where this story is going exactly. Suggestions are most welcome.


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